Method for treatment of children with developmental delay

ABSTRACT

The invention disclosed herein is a method and device for treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development. A neck flotation device such as an inflatable collar is affixed around the child&#39;s neck. The child wearing the aforementioned neck flotation device is immersed into the pool of water in which the water has been heated to approximately 92-94 degrees Fahrenheit. The child&#39;s head is supported by the neck flotation device to ensure safe breathing. The child&#39;s torso and extremities are suspended vertically in the therapy tank filled with warm water. The child can move in the pool of warm water without being restrained by gravity. By the method disclosed herein, children suffering from diseases and conditions which cause delayed neuromuscular development are permitted to exercise their muscles to develop muscle tone, increase lung function and promote neuromuscular coordination.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This continuation in part patent application specifically referencesU.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 11/980906 filed on Oct. 31,2007 pending in Art Unit 3769, Jeffrey B. Lipitz, examiner. A copy ofwhich is attached hereto by reference as if fully set forth.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The invention described in this application was not the subject offederally sponsored research or development.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The field of the invention disclosed herein is a method and device fortreatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which causedelayed neuromuscular development. Specifically, the invention disclosedherein is a method by which children may further develop neuromuscularcoordination, muscular tone, and lung function despite their disease orcondition.

2. Description of the Related Art

Children suffering from delayed neuromuscular development displaydecreased coordination, decreased muscle tone, decreased lung function,neurocognitive disorders, delayed speech and other problems. Theseproblems are especially evident in infants born prematurely, thosechildren with genetic disorders, and in those infants who suffer braininjury during the birth process. The emotional and financial costs insupporting children suffering from delayed neuromuscular development canlast a lifetime and are enormous. Prior art methods of rehabilitation ofchildren with delayed neuromuscular development have focused on physicaltherapy, speech therapy, and vocational therapy initially delivered tothe child years after the child is born. Much time in rehabilitation islost from the time of birth until formal rehabilitation measures areimplemented. What is needed in the art is a method and device fortreatment of infants and young children suffering from diseases orconditions which cause delayed neuromuscular development and which islow cost and easy to perform.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein is a method and device for treatment ofchildren suffering from conditions and diseases which cause delayedneuromuscular development and which is low cost, and easy to perform.Those children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayedneuromuscular development include the following diagnoses: Spinalmuscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, infantile spasms, dystonia,lissencephaly, Miller Deiker Syndrome, microencephaly, hydraencephaly,trisomies, traumatic brain injury, acute brain injury, infection,skeletal muscular imbalance, hemiplegia, neonatal stroke, Down'ssyndrome, holoprosencephaly, seizure disorder, visual disorders, hearingimpairment, failure to thrive, intrauterine growth retardation,prematurity, global delay syndrome, hypoxia, anoxia, shoulder dystocia,mitochondrial disease, Walker Warburg syndrome, lennox-gastaut syndrome,pachygria, hypotonia, skull fracture, chromosomal disorders,hydroencephaly, torticollis, Aicardi's syndrome, scoliosis, pediatricosteoporosis, frozen hip syndrome, hip dysplasia, Cri Du Chat, WolfHirschorn syndrome, muscular dystrophy, septo-opyic dysplasia,Zellwegers syndrome, Canavan, static encephalopathy, Prader-Willisyndrome, optic nerve hypoplasia, schizencephaly, hypoxic ischemicencephalopathy, biotin responsive basal ganglia disease, Lesch Nyhan,hemiparesis, congenital disorders of glycosylation, epilepsy,macrocephaly, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, clubbed feet,arthrogryposis, megalencephaly, Potocki-Shaffer syndrome, brain tumor,development coordination disorder, Charge syndrome, and juvenileidiopathic arthritis.

Specifically, the invention disclosed herein is a method for watertherapy using a collapsible therapy tank to hold the pool of warm waterand a neck flotation device for water therapy which is affixed aroundthe neck of the child so as to support the child's head above the levelof the water. The value of the invention disclosed herein is thatchildren suffering from conditions and diseases which cause delayedneuromuscular development have compromised head control and would beunable to participate in water therapy independently. The neck flotationdevice can be designed and constructed to safely hold children ofdifferent weights and sizes. The neck flotation device is alsoconfigured so as to have handles on the top of the neck flotation deviceto enable the caregiver to maneuver the child in the pool of water. Theneck flotation device is further configured to provide a horizontalindentation in the shelf of the inner circumference of the neckflotation device to keep the child properly placed in the neck flotationdevice. The child to which the neck flotation device is affixed isplaced in the pool of water which has been warmed to approximately 92-94degrees Fahrenheit which enables the child to maintain body temperatureat approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The neck flotation devicesupports the child's head and keeps the child's head above the surfaceof the pool of water. The child's torso and extremities are suspendedvertically in the pool of warm water. The muscles of the child's bodyare permitted free movement in the water without the hindrance ofgravity. By this method, the child is permitted to move freely,exercising all of the muscles of the torso and extremities. By thismethod of water therapy, cognitive development, neuromuscularcoordination, muscular tone and lung function are all improved. Olderchildren with recognized delayed neuromuscular development may alsobenefit from the treatment disclosed herein. A physician, physicaltherapist or parent of a child may easily use the invention disclosedherein to provide water therapy to infants and children suffering from acondition or disease which causes delayed neuromuscular development.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE INVENTION

a better understanding of the invention disclosed herein may be had byreview of the figures described below:

FIG. 1 is a side oblique view of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the disassembled therapy tank of water.

FIG. 3 is a side oblique view of the therapy tank being assembled andinsertion of the ribs supporting the portable therapy tank of water.

FIG. 4 is a side oblique view of the assembled therapy tank filled withwater.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the neck flotation device.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the neck flotation device.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the neck flotation device.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the neck flotation device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Rehabilitation of children suffering from diseases or conditions whichcause delayed neuromuscular development usually doesn't begin untilseveral years after the birth of the child. Nearly 85% of braindevelopment occurs in the first three years of life. By the timetraditional rehabilitation methods are implemented, much time has beenlost. The invention disclosed herein is a method and device which can beused at a treatment facility to provide water therapy or which parentscan use at home to promote cognitive development, neuromuscularcoordination, muscular tone and lung function in their children. Suchmethod can be implemented shortly after birth in infants suffering fromconditions or disease which cause neuromuscular development delay so asto maximize the effects of invention disclosed herein. Older childrenwith recognized developmental delays may also benefit from watertreatment. However, as described above much of the brain developmentoccurs early in life. The earlier water therapy begins with a child thebetter the expected result. The preferred embodiment is intended forchildren suffering from conditions or disease which cause delayedneuromuscular development of the age 1 day to 4 years and who areotherwise stable, i.e. have no intravenous lines or need forsupplemental oxygen.

Neonatal swimming has been previously used to accelerate a baby's growthin the early stage. Zhao et al., the Journal of Maternal-Fetal andNeonatal Medicine, 2005; 17(1): 59-62. In this study, normal babies weretaken at birth and permitted to swim twice a day for 10 minutes durationeach from the time of delivery until discharge from the hospital. Theseinvestigators monitored body weight, time of first defecation and timeof meconium turning yellow following swimming. The study reported thatthose babies participating in neonatal swimming had a significantincrease in weight and significant increase in the maturity anddevelopment of the digestive system. These authors stated that theincrease in weight in those babies participating in neonatal swimmingwas associated with 1) growth of the muscles and skeleton, 2) increaseddevelopment of the respiratory and circulatory system and 3) increaseddevelopment of the digestive tract. However, the Zhao reference examinednormal babies rather than babies suffering from a condition or diseasewhich causes delayed neuromuscular development. The invention disclosedherein is a method employing water therapy to improve development of themuscles, neuromuscular coordination, and lung function in infants andchildren suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayedneuromuscular development. It has been observed by physical therapistsand parents that infants and children suffering from diseases orconditions which cause delayed neuromuscular development have improvedmuscular tone, neuromuscular coordination, and increased lung functionfollowing water therapy. Children suffering from conditions or diseaseswhich cause delayed neuromuscular development have shown improvementthrough water therapy according to reports in the medical literature. InGetz, et al, Clinical Rehabilitation 2006; 20: 927-936, it was reportedthat children suffering from cerebral palsy had increased lung functionfollowing a course of water therapy. McIntyre and Plummer, Phys OccupTher Pediatr 2010; 30(2): 111-24, showed that aquatic therapy improvedmotor skills in children with Development Coordination Disorder (DCD).Fragala-Pinkham et al. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2009; 21(1): 68-78,demonstrated that water therapy produced clinically significantimprovement in functional mobility, walking endurance, range of motion,muscle strength and/or pain reduction in children with cerebral palsy,juvenile idiopathic arthritis or Prader-Willi syndrome following watertherapy. In another study, Fragal-Pinkham, 2009; Pediatr Phys Ther.21(4):335-44, reported that water aerobic exercise improved functionalabilities, walking endurance and speed in a child with cerebral palsy.Improvement in functional mobility following water therapy was shown byMcManus and Kotelchuck, 2007; Pediatr Phys Ther. 19(4):275-82, inchildren with delayed functional mobility. In Salem and Gropack, 2010;Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 30(4):313-324, children with spinal muscularatrophy demonstrated improvement of gross motor function and gaitfollowing a course of water therapy.

As shown in FIG. 1, a neck flotation device such as an inflated collar 1is attached around the child's neck 2 to support the child's head 3 andkeep the head 3 above water 4. The child wearing the neck flotationdevice 1 is placed in the the pool of water 5 in which the water hasbeen warmed to a temperature of approximately 92-94 degrees Fahrenheitso that core body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is maintainedwithout additional caloric expenditure. The neck flotation device 1surrounding the child's neck 3 permits the child's torso 6 andextremities 7 to be suspended vertically in the water. In this way, thechild is able to twist and turn his torso 6 or move his extremities 7,including fingers and toes without the restraint of gravity. The waterplaces more pressure on the child's chest than does ambient air whichrequires increased contractual effort by the torso muscles and therebyimproving the child's lung function over time. As the child moves aboutin the water, the child's muscles are gently massaged and stimulated bytherapeutically warm water of 92-94 degrees Fahrenheit. Handles 8attached to the upper side of the neck flotation device 1 enable thecaregiver to maneuver the child about the pool of water. The preferredembodiment of the invention disclosed herein provides therapeuticbenefit when conducted between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, a day. It isrecommended that a parent or other responsible adult be in constantattendance while the child is in the pool of water.

The child who suffers from a condition or disease which cause delayedneuromuscular development can be difficult to transport to therapytreatment centers. The method disclosed herein allows frequent, dailytherapeutic treatment in the home by parent and/or therapist. In anotherembodiment of the method disclosed herein, the parents or caregiver mayuse at home, a collapsible therapy tank of sufficient size and dimensionto hold enough water when assembled and filled with water so that thechild can suspend vertically in the pool of water.

FIG. 2 shows the collapsible therapy tank 9 in the disassembled form.The collapsible therapy tank 9 is supported by a plurality of ribs 10which fit into sleeves 11 along the side of the collapsible therapy tank9. The ribs 10 provide rigidity to the collapsible therapy tank 9 whenthe collapsible therapy tank 9 is assembled and filled with water. Thecollapsible therapy tank 9 has a drain 12 for removing the water fromthe collapsible therapy tank 9 following a therapy session. A drain hose13 is attached to the drain 12 to permit the water from the collapsibletherapy tank 9 to be removed.

Assembly of the collapsible therapy tank 9 and filling collapsibletherapy tank 9 with water is shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The collapsibletherapy tank 9 is supported by a plurality of ribs 10 which are insertedinto sleeves 11 on the collapsible therapy tank 9 to instill rigidityinto the collapsible therapy tank 9 so that it can be filled with waterfor a therapy session. The collapsible therapy tank 9 is of such sizeand dimension so as to hold sufficient water to permit the childsuffering from a condition or disease which cause delayed neuromusculardevelopment to be suspended vertically in the pool of water 5. Verticalsuspension of the child 3 suffering from a condition or disease whichcauses delayed neuromuscular development permits the child 3 to movefreely in the pool of water 5 to promote muscle strength, neuromuscularcoordination and range of motion. The collapsible therapy tank 9 isconstructed from an insulating material which minimizes heat loss fromthe water in the pool. In some circumstances, lung function may beadversely affected by chlorinated water. Chlorinated water has beenshown to increase the risk of bronchiolitis and lung infection inchildren which may lead to asthma and respiratory allergies. EuropeanRespiratory Journal, online Jan. 14, 2010. The invention disclosedherein provides a mechanism for water therapy in a pool of unchlorinatedwater.

The neck flotation device 1 is shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8. The neckflotation device consists of a top inflatable circular bladder 15 and abottom inflatable circular bladder 16 as shown in FIG. 8. The topinflatable circular bladder 15 is approximately 15% smaller in volumewhen inflated than the bottom inflatable circular bladder 16 which iscommensurately larger in size than the top inflatable circular bladder15. The purpose of the difference in size between the bottom inflatablecircular bladder 16 and the top inflatable circular bladder 15 is toimprove buoyancy in the neck flotation device 1. The neck flotationdevice 1 is open in one place forming two ends 17 as shown in FIG. 6. Asa result, the neck flotation device 1 is designed and constructed toresemble a circular horseshoe with a circular opening 14 in the middle.The top inflatable circular bladder 15 is inflated through a sealableport 18. The bottom inflatable circular bladder 16 likewise has asealable inflation port. When not in use the neck flotation device 1 maybe deflated through the sealable port 18. A shelf 19 is constructedalong the inner circumference of the neck flotation device. A recess 13in the shelf 19 is located along the inner circumference of the neckflotation device 1 at a point equidistant between the two disconnectedends 17. The child to receive treatment is placed into the neckflotation device 1 in such a way that the child's head 3 is above thecircular opening 14 in the neck flotation device 1. The placement of thechild's chin in the horizontal indentation 13 places the child in theneck flotation device 1 so that the child faces the opposite directionfrom the two disconnected ends 17. The neck flotation device 1 isconstructed with handles 8 on the top surface of the neck flotationdevice 1 and arranged so as to not obscure the visual field of thechild. The neck flotation device 1 is affixed around the child's neck byadjustable fasteners 21 on the top surface and bottom surface of theneck flotation device 1 near the disconnected ends 17 as shown in FIG.6. The handles 8 provide a convenient method to maneuver the child inthe pool of water 5. Maneuvering the child by way of the handles 8affords therapeutic manipulation to increase sensory stimulation. Theneck flotation device 1 is constructed from a flexible material such asa clear plastic to enable the child to see his hands and feet below theneck flotation device 1 in the water. Enabling the child to see hishands during water therapy promotes neuromuscular development such aseye hand coordination which is crucial for the overall physicaldevelopment of the child. The neck flotation device 1 may be constructedin various sizes to accommodate children of varying weights. Indetermining the proper size the inside circumference is the distancearound the circular opening 14 created by connecting the top and bottomof the neck flotation device 1 and the outside diameter is the distanceacross the top of the neck flotation device 1 from one outside edge toanother of the neck flotation device 1. For example, an extra small neckflotation device 1 would fit infants from 7-10 pounds body weight andhave an inside circumference of 8 inches and an outside top inflatablecircular bladder 15 diameter of 13 inches. A small neck flotation device1 would fit children of 10-20 pounds body weight and have an insidecircumference of 11 inches and an outside top inflatable circularbladder 15 diameter of 16 inches. A large neck flotation device 1 wouldbe appropriate for children weighing between 20-40 pounds body weightand have an inside circumference of 12.5 inches and an outside topinflatable circular bladder 15 diameter of 17 inches. An extra largeneck flotation device would fit a child of 40-75 pounds in body weightand have an inside circumference of 13 inches and an outside topinflatable circular bladder 15 diameter of 19 inches. The inventiondisclosed herein is an improvement over prior art in that a child withdelayed neuromuscular development has a neck size disproportionate totheir head circumference due to inherent reduced muscle tone thataccompanies delayed neuromuscular development.

Other embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are readily apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art. Those other embodiments, eventhough not specifically disclosed herein are encompassed within thespecification and the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1. A method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions ordiseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development comprising stepsfor: assembling a collapsible therapy tank; filling said tank with warmwater; attaching a neck flotation device around the child's neck;immersing the child in said tank filled with warm water so that thechild is suspended vertically in said tank of water with said child'shead above the surface of the water; allowing the child unrestrainedmovement in said tank of water; whereby said child's muscle strength,coordination, range of motion and lung function are improved.
 2. Themethod for the treatment of children suffering from conditions ordiseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined inclaim 1 wherein said water is heated to a temperature of approximately92-94 degrees Fahrenheit.
 3. The method for the treatment of childrensuffering from conditions or disease which cause delayed neuromusculardevelopment as defined in claim 1 wherein said water is unchlorinated.4. The method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions ordiseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined inclaim 1 wherein said condition or disease which cause delayedneuromuscular development is selected from a group consisting of: Spinalmuscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, infantile spasms, trisomies ,traumatic brain injury, acute brain injury, infection, skeletal muscularimbalance, hemilegia, neonatal stroke, Down's syndrome,holoprosencephaly, seizure disorder, visual disorders, hearingimpairment, failure to thrive, intrauterine growth retardation,prematurity, global delay syndrome, hypoxia, anoxia, shoulder dystocia,mitochondrial disease, Walker Warburg syndrome, lennox-gastaut syndrome,pachygria, hypotonia, skull fracture, chromosomal disorders,hydroencephaly, torticollis, Aicardi's syndrome, scoliosis, pediatricosteoporosis, frozen hip syndrome, hip dysplasia, Cri Du Chat, WolfHirschorn syndrome, muscular dystrophy, septo-opyic dysplasia,Zellwegers syndrome, Canavan, static encephalopathy, Prader-Willisyndrome, optic nerve hypoplasia, schizencephaly, hypoxic ischemicencephalopathy, biotin responsive basal ganglia disease, Lesch Nyhan,hemiparesis, congenital disorders of glycosylation, epilepsy,macrocephaly, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, clubbed feet,arthrogryposis, megalencephaly, Potocki-Shaffer syndrome, brain tumor,development coordination disorder, Charge syndrome, and juvenileidiopathic arthritis.
 5. An inflatable neck flotation device to be wornaround a child's neck to raise the child's head above the surface of atank of water for water therapy of children suffering from conditionsand diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development comprising: atop circular inflatable bladder and a bottom inflatable circular bladderto form a neck flotation device which is not a completely enclosedcircle; said neck flotation device having a top surface and a bottomsurface; said top inflatable circular bladder is approximately 15%smaller in volume than said bottom inflatable circular bladder causingsaid bottom inflatable circular bladder to be commensurately larger insize than said top inflatable circular bladder; an inflatable shelf ofapproximately 1.5 inches in width extending around the interiorcircumference of said neck flotation device and located approximatelymidway between the said top surface and bottom surface of said neckflotation device; a horizontal indentation in said shelf equidistantbetween and opposite of said opening in said neck flotation deviceflotation device bladder to accommodate a child's chin; two handlesaffixed to the top surface of said neck flotation device in which eachhandle is positioned to be on opposite sides of the neck flotationdevice and to be out of visual field of the child; aninflation/deflation port on the top of said top circular inflatablebladder; an inflation/deflation port on the bottom of said bottominflatable circular bladder; an adjustable fastener on the top surfaceof said neck flotation device to close said opening in said neckflotation device; an adjustable fastener on the bottom surface of saidneck flotation device to close the opening of said neck flotationdevice; a circular opening created by closing the space in said neckflotation device; Whereby said top inflatable circular bladder andbottom inflatable circular bladder part forms a neck flotation devicewhich supports the child's head above the surface of the water andpermits the child to be suspended vertically in said tank of water forthe improvement of neuromuscular coordination, muscle tone, lungfunction and range of motion.
 6. The neck flotation device described inclaim 4 wherein said inflatable collar is constructed from clearflexible plastic.
 7. The neck flotation device for the treatment ofchildren suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayedneuromuscular development as defined in claim 4 wherein said conditionor disease which cause delayed neuromuscular development is selectedfrom a group consisting of: Spinal muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy,infantile spasms, dystonia, lissencephaly, Miller Deiker Syndrome,microencephaly, hydraencephaly, trisomies , traumatic brain injury,acute brain injury, infection, skeletal muscular imbalance, hemilegia,neonatal stroke, Down's syndrome, holoprosencephaly, seizure disorder,visual disorders, hearing impairment, failure to thrive, intrauterinegrowth retardation, prematurity, global delay syndrome, hypoxia, anoxia,shoulder dystocia, mitochondrial disease, Walker Warburg syndrome,lennox-gastaut syndrome, pachygria, hypotonia, skull fracture,chromosomal disorders, hydroencephaly, torticollis, Aicardi's syndrome,scoliosis, pediatric osteoporosis, frozen hip syndrome, hip dysplasia,Cri Du Chat, Wolf Hirschorn syndrome, muscular dystrophy, septo-opyicdysplasia, Zellwegers syndrome, Canavan, static encephalopathy,Prader-Willi syndrome, optic nerve hypoplasia, schizencephaly, hypoxicischemic encephalopathy, biotin responsive basal ganglia disease, LeschNyhan, hemiparesis, congenital disorders of glycosylation, epilepsy,macrocephaly, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, clubbed feet,arthrogryposis, megalencephaly, Potocki-Shaffer syndrome, brain tumor,development coordination disorder, Charge syndrome, and juvenileidiopathic arthritis.